Of all of history’s enemies, e.g., fire, storms, erosion, pollution, or growth; the biggest enemy of all is Time. As Time passes we are bound to lose track of what makes up our history… people, events, structures, records, stories, etc. This blog proposes to share topics of interest that were not available at the time of publishing our book, "Bayou Pigeon, LA - Spirit of the Atchafalaya."

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Know Atchafalaya Heritage

Understand the Lingoof the Commercial Fisherman, Hunters, and Trappers

The Bayous, streams/waterways, canals, and sloughs are the Veins of the Atchafalaya.

Part of every young commercial fisherman's, trapper and hunters heritage in the Atchafalaya Basin is learning the lingo used by the old swampers to describe certain areas of the swamp. It goes without saying that the lower Atchafalaya Basin in total is just a large network of integrated waterways.

However, sometimes the swampers will identify smaller networks of integrated waterways and use a special term and or name to group the waterways into one name.

These smaller networks of integrated waterways usually develop a name that may be different from some of the individual waterways and/or less specific in the network. Typically it is a short way to make a general reference to an area.

Thus, when a term like, I passed through the ‘Cutoff’ is spoken other fishermen immediately know where / what they are talking about.

There are many of these named smaller networks of integrated waterways areas in the Atchafalaya, known to the swampers. L.O.L. but not known to United States Geological Service, responsible for maps in the Atchafalaya and or to the weekend warriors who travel the Spillway.

In the Bayou Pigeon – Grand Lake Vector of the basin. Right off the bat, I can think of “The Road”, The “Cutoff”, “The Reed”, “Gilmore Road”, “The Skiddy”, etc..

Location of Study Area - Bayou Pigeon Sector

This is a description/history about one of those areas, known as ‘The Cutoff” inside the Bayou Pigeon sector. Known only to the few who remember, old Bayou Pigeon...

About Me

Chachie is an avid outdoorsman and sportsman. He is a charter member and the current Chairman of the Board of the Catfish Hunting Club, Inc. of Bayou Pigeon, La., a member of the National Rifle Association and the Boone and Crockett Club of America. He has been hunting and fishing in the Central Atchafalaya Basin since the 1963. He has been involved with the Atchafalaya Basin Landowners and the LW&F in improving the quality of the hunting and fishing in the basin since the early 1970’s. He is a licensed alligator hunter in the State of Louisiana and, he says, a seriously addicted deer hunter.

He is known by many of his Bayou Pigeon life-long friends as the go-to guy about the history of the Atchafalaya Basin. By his professional contacts, he is to referred as “Chachie of the Atchafalaya.”